Technology – twenty years ago was a CD player and internet connection – maybe a cell phone. ten years ago was broadband and wireless connections. Today it is mobile internet broadband and bluetooth everything in a digitally connected life. Ten years it looks like driverless cars and wearable technology coordinated through the cloud and possible even real retina displays. Fancy stuff and it is amazing – but what will be the defining qualities of our relationships and connections beyond the digital realm. Will the digital continue to create convenience to allow us more time to build quality lives and have time to be in nature – and disconnect long enough to see the need for time away from that?

I grew up in a racially diverse community – people weren’t necessarily divided by race, but usually a mix of race, socioeconomic status and egalitarian apathy. There are many ways to slice that pie on figuring out what equality is – but I find that the 2016 Presidential race is revealing a dark underside to America that pop culture was letting dissipate quietly or at least not be agitated. President Obama has been an exemplary leader in many respects and now we are faced with a Presidential race that has been marred by all sorts of mud slinging and possibly slander. T rump’s rallies have been mongering hate rallies and protests across the nation – on both sides. While I wish the best candidate win and I have a little bit of faith in the American system to properly vet each candidate – but the Republican party has placed an incredibly high tolerance and heeded many hateful words from their candidates this time around. America has so much power, but it still in an incredible fragile state of world politics (and almost always will be). I pray that our nation would place their vote responsibly.

Advice was once given: don’t make the architecture look too good. There is something incredibly powerful about the new emerging architectural trends and fabrication abilities. Some of the most incredible buildings are soaring into the sky at an incredible pace. Creating healthy urban environments is something of value, but what is the cost – financially, culturally and ethereally? Culturally, through increases of social media and visual media – architecture is becoming an increasingly prevalent focus for the general public. What will this mean for the future generations?